Disney has been on a role with their decision to be more inclusionary and to remove traces of a past gone by. Some of these changes are becoming more crucial, and more real. The Jungle Cruise has been a beloved attraction since opening day in 1955. It tells the story of a cruise gone bad and since the 1960's has been a gag reel of dad jokes that cannot be forgotten. You start off in the headquarters of the Jungle Navigation Company, a British colony outpost with the task of taking tourists up rivers that were before this inaccessible. The ride is filled with the state-of-the-art animatronics that Walt Disney loved, to tell his story around the clock. Disney wanted live animals but was remised of this idea when he realized they would sleep all day. While the animatronics may not seem particularly amazing to the current eye, you have to remember that these are the same animatronics that Walt and guests could see back in 1955. For being 65 years old, they are in extremely good shape. In 1962, the skippers' original documentary-style spiel was abandoned in favor of a more comedic one, spewing bad puns and interaction from the guests.
Jungle Cruise had come under scrutiny in the recent years for the questionable scenes regarding tribal people and racial and imperial content. The transformation took a while at the Disneyland Park but it has reopened with a few changes. The rhinoceros trapping the Safari characters is still terrorizing folks, but the team looks a little different. We are featuring the unlucky skipper, an Irish birdwatcher, a black Canadian botanist, a Japanese entomologist, and a Latina artist. The ending of the ride no longer features a "head salesman" but now a lost and found stand which has been converted into a gift shop by our Trader Sam.
The concern of the Disney attraction to be featuring or referencing content of the upcoming 2021 movie with the same name were unfounded as the attraction stayed largely the same. Both Disneyland and Walt Disney World adjusted their attractions for the afore mentioned content.
Have you been on the updated Jungle Cruise? What are your thoughts? Comment below!
Thanks for reading and as always, we'll see you in the parks!
Comments